Bring Isaac and Jonathan home for Thanksgiving!

UPDATE: Isaac and Jonathan were released from ICE detention on Thursday morning! Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, made the calls, and supported them in every way possible. This proves the power we have if we come out and organize! http://bit.ly/alabama15released

Undocumented. Unafraid. Undercover.

During the National Immigrant Youth Alliance's Week of Action, 15 undocumented youth and parents were arrested for standing up for themselves and our community in protest of unjust laws like Alabama's HB56. 13 of these undocumented youth and parents were released, while 2 undocumented youth were transferred to a detention center and are awaiting deportation.

On Thursday Nov. 10th, Isaac Barrera and Jonathan Perez walked into a Mobile, Alabama Border Patrol office protesting against HB56. Both were detained and, within hours, transferred to the Basile immigration detention center in Southern Louisiana. Isaac and Jonathan are now doing what they do best, organizing from within the detention center where they are gathering stories of others detained, those not connected to a larger network.

TAKE ACTION - MAKE A CALL:

Call ICE - John Morton (800-394-5855) and (800 821 9358)

Sample Script: "I am calling to ask that the deportation of my friends Isaac Barrera (A#200-244-383) and Jonathan Perez (A#070-945-779) be immediately stopped. Isaac and Jonathan are DREAM Act eligible. President Obama has said he won't be deporting undocumented youth and our families. Why are Isaac and Jonathan still detained and awaiting deportation to countries they no longer remember?"

Isaac and Jonathan are no different than the 13 undocumented youth and parents who were arrested and released less than 2 days later. Why is President Obama still trying to deport Isaac and Jonathan? Tell President Obama to stop lying to our community once and for all!

Let’s get Isaac and Jonathan back home for Thanksgiving!

Letter to

President of the United States

We, the undersigned, write to demand that you immediately release Isaac Barrera (A#200-244-383) and Jonathan Perez (A#070-945-779) from ICE detention for Thanksgiving and stop lying to our community.

Both students were detained during the National Immigrant Youth Alliance’s Week of Action in Alabama, a total of 15 undocumented immigrants decided to stand up for themselves and our undocumented community by coming out of the shadows. The 13 arrested publicly at the Alabama State House were released. Your offices responded by stating those 13 arrested did not meet your priority for detention, yet when the camera's are turned off those same cases are turned over to a detention center.

Isaac Barrera and Jonathan Perez, two undocumented youth from California, were detained protesting HB56 on Thursday, November 10th and spent some time in jail before being transferred to the Basile detention center in Southern Louisiana. They are currently still in detention and being processed for deportation.

We recognize the power we have if we come out of the shadows as undocumented and organize within our community. We know that you will not take action against us if we are public about our status, but that you will continue to quietly deport us if we remain silent. As a community we will no longer allow you to have that power over us. We are willing to highlight the flaws in your system in any way possible, whether it is from outside your detention centers or inside.

Isaac and Jonathan are the first of many waves of organizers who will intentionally enter your detention centers. We can organize inside your centers just as well as outside. If you are honest about wanting to stop the deportation of our family, friends, and community, then prove it to us once and for all. We will no longer accept broken promises and speeches, while we see how you continue to terrorize our community. Why are two of our youth, no different than the 13 already released, in your detention centers if you’re serious about stopping the deportations?

Bring Isaac and Jonathan home for Thanksgiving. Actions speak louder than words. We are prepared to live by that. Are you?